
Former Constitutional Court judges Leyda Margarita Piña, Jottin Cury, Wilson Gómez and Katia Miguelina Jiménez held a press conference on 3 February to alert the nation to what would be the dark side of the Preclearance Agreement with the United States government. They argue that an attachment to the agreement makes the cons more than the pros.
The judges said the main pro is that the agreement opens up the country to flights from US domestic airports. The facility has been approved for the Punta Cana International Airport. The plan is for US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials to operate a US migration and customs clearance at the Punta Cana airport.
Nevertheless, the former judges reject an annex on the issue of refugees that is an integral part of the agreement. The judges say that preclearance has become a means to prevent asylum seekers from reaching the United States where these individuals intend to formalize their requests.
The judges recommend the controversial annex be removed for the agreement to pass.
They warn that in the same agreement there are clauses that subject the travelers and their belongings to a second inspection upon arrival in the United States, evidencing a lack of reciprocity. They say this casts doubts on the alleged streamlining of procedures and facilities for those entering the US territory.
The judges say the agreement has serious implications for the interests of the Dominican Republic. They say the Dominican authorities have focused on the pros, not sharing all the truth about the preclearance. They say it is part of a program of the US government to prevent the entry of terrorists into the US, and deal outside of US territory with other threats to US national security.
The judges alert there is a strong interest in the Abinader administration in passing the agreement despite the serious considerations.
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N Digital
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3 February 2021